When Jessica Pezalla, an artist and designer who founded the creative studio Bramble Workshop, was looking for a new apartment last year, she wanted to live in an urban location and in a vintage building. She found the perfect spot to rent—a corner unit in a great 1920s building that has tons of light for her plants and plenty of room for her and Hazel.

An off-site artist’s studio where Jessica creates her stunning installation pieces and window displays frees up her apartment for just living, and Jessica has thoughtfully styled her home with handmade objects, plants and unique pieces inspired by nature. “On the deepest level, my mother and grandmothers are the lasting source of my artistic and aesthetic inspiration. All three were artists. Their homes were filled with beautiful handmade objects, both practical and decorative, and this is what I strive towards in my own home.”

Many of Jessica‘s works can be seen in her apartment; three papier mache woodland creatures are just inside the front door, and a life-size papier mache owl (her proudest DIY) that was commissioned by Hermes is above the couch. Currently Jessica is working on a large installation for the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The show, which is “a focus exhibition that sets out to recreate and interpret the experience of the garden,” opens April 21.

Apartment Therapy Survey:

My Style: Earthy, eclectic. I am drawn to objects that are handcrafted, textural, and made from natural materials. When decorating a living space, I gravitate towards the Japanese “Wabi Sabi” aesthetic of the perfectly imperfect. I also love to bring the outdoors in, through houseplants and simple floral arrangements.

Inspiration: On the deepest level, my mother and grandmothers are the lasting source of my artistic and aesthetic inspiration. All three were artists. My mother created linocuts of plants and animals, my maternal grandmother was a ceramicist, and my paternal grandmother was an expert weaver and knitter. Their homes were filled with beautiful handmade objects, both practical and decorative, and this is what I strive towards in my own home.

Favorite Element: As someone who makes objects and art installations for a living, I have many past projects displayed in my home. I love the pressed flower wall hanging and plan to make more of them when the roses begin to bloom here in Portland.

Biggest Challenge: Living in a small space is always a challenge, but luckily I have an art studio, too. Plants, crystals, and sculptural objects won out over books when deciding what to display on my bookshelf!

What Friends Say: From my friend Danielle, who has seen many of my living spaces over the years: “The spaces you create always reflect how highly you value simple, organic beauty. Also, you are selective in the objects you choose to display—they must be both aesthetically pleasing and significant to you on an emotional level—you don’t overcrowd surface area with pretty but meaningless things.” Thanks, Danielle!

Proudest DIY: Definitely the papier-mâché owl. It was created for an Hermes window display in Miami, along with other papier-mâché flora and fauna. The animal heads on the adjacent wall were made using the same technique; I have a longtime love of papier-mâché and paper craft.

Biggest Indulgence: I have an unreasonable number of houseplants given the size of my apartment. When I moved in, my dream was to sleep surrounded by plants, and I love to wake up to sunlight streaming through the leaves—although I did not anticipate how difficult it would be to make my bed every morning!

Best Advice: Integrate meaningful pieces even if they don’t “match” your aesthetic. The Scandinavian blue and white dish set owned by my grandmother doesn’t necessarily work with the rest of my décor, but it makes me happy every single day because it reminds me of her.

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Sponsors for Needed Phoebe’s Pageant Fund

Phoebe was invited and attended an open call for National American Miss on May 18th. After being interview by the committee she was chosen as one of New Jersey's state finalist. Our next step for Phoebe to proceed is attaining sponsors. As we all know times are tough however, she would appreciate any amount you would be able to contribute. Phoebe is very excited to represent her state in August. The pageant goals are for her to gain poise and self-confidence, practice speaking in front of a live audience, and become actively involved in her community. All donations are tax deductible for businesses as an advertising expense. All sponsors will be listed in the state year book. Thank you for your time whether you chose to sponsor or not. The Armstead Family Help spread the word!